Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at a zoo? Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s “Fun with Flippers” encounter offers visitors a unique opportunity to dive deep into the world of sea lions and seals.

Saramae Parker, a behind-the-scenes interpreter at the zoo, explains, “My role here is to take guests behind the scenes to build connections with our zoo animals.” The encounter includes a visit to the sea lion cove habitat, where visitors learn about the animals’ diets and watch a training session.

“Currently behind me, we are in sea lion cove. This is our underwater viewing area,” Parker says, gesturing to the popular exhibit. “Behind me is where you can see our California sea lions and harbor seals swimming.”

Despite being inland, Fresno Chaffee Zoo houses these marine mammals successfully. “We are in Fresno, so unfortunately not along the coast, but being a zoo, we are able to house a variety of wildlife,” Parker explains. She adds that both of their California sea lions are rescues from California beaches.

Learning What They Eat

The encounter takes visitors to the kitchen, where Stephanie James, the manager for the sea lion cove area, provides insight into the animals’ diets. They each eat 20 pounds of fish a day.

“We have a couple of different types of fish species that we feed out,” James says. She explains the seasonal changes in their diet, “As we’re ending the summer months and going into the winter months, we are transitioning from some of our lower fat fish to having a more heavier diet of higher fat fish.”

The highlight of the encounter is observing a training session with Wish Bone, a blind California sea lion. Parker shares his story: “Wish Bone has been here since 2015. He is also a rescue. He was found stranded on a beach. And when rescuers came to assess his situation, discovered that he is completely blind.”

Parker emphasizes the importance of these training sessions. “There’s three primary reasons that we do these training sessions. One of them is for health care… The second reason we do it is for physical exercise… Now the third reason we do this training is for mental stimulation.”

Other Behind-the-Scenes Tours

“Fun with Flippers” isn’t the only behind-the-scenes experience available. Parker outlines other exciting encounters: “We have one with our sloth bears called sloth bear necessities. We have roar tour with our tigers. We have scales and tails, which tours the reptile house. We have one where you get to meet a giant Galapagos tortoise. That’s totally shell struck.”

For those interested in these unique experiences, Parker encourages, “The best way to get involved with the zoo, if you are local, visiting us always helps. So ticket purchases do go toward the zoo’s operational costs. We also donate a portion of it to various conservation projects. Becoming a member is a great option as well. And booking our behind the scenes encounters, coming to our events, coming up, we have Zooboo and then Illuminature to follow.”

To book your own behind-the-scenes encounter or to learn more about other experiences, visit the Fresno Chaffee Zoo website. The zoo is at 894 W Belmont Ave, Fresno, CA 93728. Don’t miss this opportunity to get up close and personal with amazing animals from sea lions to sloth bears!

About the Author

GV Wire Producer Dean Kirkland is the founder and director of Gas and Gears, an independent film production company that has produced numerous television series and feature films, including the award-winning documentary “Racing Through The Forest” (2014).